No, I haven't given up on my other fics, I just had the sudden urge to make something new… This had NO relation what so ever to my other Viko fics (you'll see that my writing style has improved since I last wrote a Viko fic), and second, it's an alternate reality to what could happen after the game (What happens with Vivi doesn't happen, in other words. I'm not saying what in case some of you readers haven't clocked the game yet). I don't own the FF9 characters, Square does… (jammy %*^&* s!) and PLEASE read and review! Now, enjoy my latest piece of work… ^_^
PROLOGUE
Many years had passed since the battle for all life on planet Gaia, and happier times were now at hand. Zidane Tribal eventually returned to Garnet like he promised he would, and on that very day, they wed and became the King and Queen of Alexandria. The Alexandrian General Beatrix was thinking about leaving her line of duty and starting a new life elsewhere, but Captain Alderbert Steiner of The Knights Of Pluto had admitted that he loved her, and a job of protecting the King and Queen together would be a happier life to lead for the both of them. Freya Cresent had found her long lost love Fratley, who had recovered from his amnesia state, and were now both working on reconstructing their home town, Burmecia. Amarant Coral returned to Treno, despite his face still plastered on wanted posters all over the city, and was now working as a lone wolf protecting the innocent from bandits and thugs. Quina Quen returned to the Qu's Marsh near Lindblum, and was now telling Master Quale about all the new things to eat around the world. Vivi Ornitier went to stay in the Black Mage Village with all the other mages, telling many stories about his and his friend's travels around Gaia. Eiko Carol left her home with the moogles in Madian Sari, and went to live with her adopted parents, Cid and Hilda Fabool in Lindblum, where she is now heir to the regency of the massive city. Eiko missed all her friends dearly, and was always on trips to the different parts on Gaia to see them with her parents, except one… Vivi. Whenever she wanted to go see Vivi, her father would argue for reasons why she wanted to go to the village, but would eventually give in and then sent her with some of his strongest guards to the village, but never wanted her to stay there for more than a couple of hours. When Eiko eventually asked why she couldn't see Vivi as often as her other friends, he explained that ever since the attack on Lindblum and Burmecia, and the aware Black Mages helping Kuja with his evil plans, he has never trusted any Black Mage, and that included the little Black Mage hero, Vivi. Eiko couldn't understand why, as the Black Mages were always a friendly, understanding and peace loving bunch, but her father's hatred for them had grown so deep that he wouldn't allow Black Mages in Lindblum at all, and any Black Mage seen in the city would be thrown in the dungeon and probably executed. Eiko had tried so many times to reason with her father, but to no avail. When she asked how her mother felt about the Black Mages, she always said something to try and avoid talking about it and changed the subject as quickly as she could. Eiko hated that, since Vivi was her best friend, but that's how she's had to live. And that life style is still in order now, 12 years later. Eiko will be 18 years of age in two weeks time, and wants to have a massive party in the castle with all her friends, including…
Loving You From Afar
By Kawaii Vivi
Chapter 1
" Absolutely not Eiko!" Cid Fabool yelled as he rose from his throne to walk towards his daughter, who shot him an angry glance as he got closer to her.
" But Father, my eighteenth birthday is special, and I want all of my friends to be there, and that includes Vivi! Why can't you understand that?"
" Because he is a Black Mage! They're all nothing but a bunch of blood thirsty Mist monsters, the lot of them! You can't be friends with one of those demons! As soon as you turn your back, they'll blast you with a Flare spell faster than a Qu can munch a frog!"
Eiko scowled at her father. How many times had she had this conversation about the Black Mages with him? Too many to even remember. Whenever she was allowed to go the Black Mage Village, they always welcomed her in open arms, despite the disgusted looks on the guard's faces. They were a wonderful bunch of people, and she simply could not understand why her father hated them so much. She sighed as she tried to reason with him again.
"But father, he traveled around the world with us! He helped us beat Kuja AND Necron! If he was a blood thirsty monster like you claim he is, he would have destroyed us years ago! He is one of the most wonderful people I know! You have to let him come, because I'll never forgive you if you don't!"
" You are in no position to bargain with me Eiko." Cid growled. " I said no and I mean it! I will not allow those despicable creatures roaming freely around my castle! He could even get out into Lindblum, and history would repeat itself… 'No' is my final word Eiko, and NO more on the subject!" Eiko could feel tears welling in her eyes as her father yelled the last sentence, and before running up to her room, she screamed,
" You treat me like a child! I hate you!", leaving Cid alone to ponder on what his daughter had just said to him. He gave a heavy sigh and sat back down on his throne, shaking his head.
Eiko stormed up to her room, and threw herself on her bed. 'Why can't I invite Vivi, why?' she thought to herself as she cried into her pillow. She was allowed to invite everyone else, even Amarant, but not Vivi, and she couldn't understand her father's ways. The Black Mages who attacked Lindblum and Burmecia were being controlled by Kuja, and the aware ones only followed the evil Genome because he tricked them about their life spans, which in the end, also turned out to be not true as Doctor Tot did find out how to increase the life span of a Black Mage, and now any Black Mage has the life expectancy of a normal human being. Her thoughts were soon broken as there was a sudden knock on her door. It was a guard, holding a bundle of envelopes
" Mail for you, Miss." He said whilst handing her the bundle. She knew what they were… birthday cards. She was just about to wonder if one was from Vivi, until she noticed the guard hanging onto one brown envelope.
" Is that for me too?" she asked him. The guard said nothing, and started to walk out the door before Eiko stopped him in his tracks.
" That's from The Black Mage Village, isn't it?" Again, he said nothing. Eiko threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.
"First, I can't see my best friend, and now, I can't even receive mail from him!? Give me that letter! I command you to give it to me!"
" No. Regent Cid doesn't want anything from the Black Mage Village in here." He said bluntly "It's my duty to destroy this." He then attempted to walk out again, but was halted by Eiko for a second time.
" Look, Vivi Ornitier is my best friend. I only get to see him about three times a year, and even then, the visits are no longer than 3 hours. He is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, most kindly guys I know, and every day, I have to listen to my father verbally abuse him as well as all the other Black Mages! One day, he'll understand that they are not what he thinks they are, and only then will we live in true peace. Now give me that letter. It's the only way I'll hear from him in a while since he can't come to my party!" The guard shook his head, then gave a heavy sigh.
"Fine." He mumbled as he handed her the letter. " But don't you tell the regent that I relented. I might be thrown in jail for this." Eiko smiled at him.
" Don't you worry about that. Thank you so much." He gave a small smile back as he was finally allowed to exit the room. Eiko's face lit up as she looked at the letter. Yup, it's from the Black Mage Village all right. It's got the little Black Mage head ink stamp on it. She leapt onto her bed as she opened the letter, and surely enough, there was a hand made birthday card in there, as well as a tattered old letter, and another piece of paper. Eiko looked at this piece, and it turned out to be a sketch of Vivi hugging Bobby Corwen's son Aven done by Mr 147. Eiko smirked as she looked at the drawing… Vivi hadn't changed in looks at all, with the exception of him being taller, of course, and wearing a different hat to what he wore when traveling with his friends. She then turned her gaze towards the card, which said 'Happy Birthday' on the front with a small collage of a Black Mage made out of leaves, grass and twigs. The message inside simply said 'To Lady Eiko, hope you have a wonderful birthday, love Vivi, and everybody at the Black Mage Village.' Her smile widened as she was going to place it on the shelf with her other birthday cards, but then decided to put it in the bottom of her drawer just in case her father came into her room. She finally opened up the letter, which basically said how Vivi and everyone else was doing, how the village celebrated when Aven had an egg with his mate, how Bobby Corwen is still alive (AN: Old Chocobo, huh? ^_^) and well, and most importantly, how she was doing. He also asked if Regent Cid had calmed down on the subject of Black Mages, but Eiko already knew the answer to that… she didn't like Vivi knowing that her father hates him, but there was really nothing that she could do when Regent Cid showed up that one time to pick Eiko up from the village outside the forest, and when Vivi went with her to the ship, he yelled at him and told him to get out of his sight. Vivi was so confused at the time as Cid had never acted this way towards him before, and it was on the next visit that Eiko told him about her father's hatred. She'll never forget the hurt look on Vivi's face when she told him…
Suddenly, another knock at her door interrupted her thoughts again, but this time, she answered it to her mother Hilda, who gave a small smile as she saw Eiko poke her head around the door.
"Eiko, dinner will be ready in a minute, so get dressed and come on down to the dining table as soon as you can."
"Thanks Mom, I'll get right on that." Eiko said as she bent down to pick one of her many hair ribbons off the floor. "Oh, and did Dad say anything about me while been up here?"
Hilda nodded her head sadly " I'm afraid so dear. He began ranting about how that young Black Mage friend of yours is corrupting your mind, and what disaster would befall Lindblum if Black Mages were ever allowed back into the city. I tried to get him to stay calm, but he will not listen to reason on this particular subject…" she suddenly paused as she saw tears welling up in her daughter's eyes again. Hilda wiped them from her face, and gave her a warm smile.
" Eiko, I believe you can trust Vivi, but I'm afraid your father will not tolerate him or any other Black Mage in Lindblum, especially in the castle…"
"Can you ask him if Vivi can come to my birthday party Mom, since you're with me on this?" Eiko asked. Hilda said nothing for a while to think her answer, but eventually came up with it.
" I'm afraid I'm not on either side of this argument Eiko, but I will talk to him…for your sake." Eiko beamed as she rushed to give her mother a big hug.
"Thank you mom. You don't know how much this means to me."
"I have a vague idea." Hilda giggled as she hugged Eiko back. " Now come. Your father will wonder where we are if we don't go down to dinner soon." And with that, Hilda walked back down to the elevator to carry her to the dining room while Eiko got ready for dinner. Maybe Vivi could come to her birthday bash after all…
Ten minutes later, Eiko put on her evening dress and got on the elevator to take her down to the next floor of the castle. She walked to the dining room, only to hear Cid and Hilda arguing. Eiko had an idea what this was over, so she decided to stand behind the door and listen. She could hear Cid pacing around the room angrily while Hilda was trying to talk to him.
"So, she's brainwashed you as well? Am I the only one thinking of the people of Lindblum's safety?!?" Cid yelled as he turned his back on his wife. Hilda sighed angrily in frustration and placed her hands on her hips.
" Cid, first of all, I'm not on either yours or Eiko's side on this matter, and second, she just wants all of her friends to be here, and that includes that young Black Mage boy, Vivi. I think that's fair, since she will be eighteen years old and that's a big milestone in her life. You're also forgetting that he helped them save Gaia from the hands of Kuja! He tried to protect Burmecia and Lindblum in those Mage attacks! How can you not invite him but everyone else to Eiko's eighteenth?" Cid whirled round and walked up to Hilda with a look of pure hatred on his face.
" And how do you know that it's not some kind of trick? None of their kind can be trusted… those ones who claimed to be 'aware' eventually HELPED Kuja with his plans! They're all nothing but a bunch of dirty, scheming, evil little beings that never should have been brought to Gaia in the first place!" Hilda scowled, but said nothing more as she knew he would always have something to say back. Once again, Eiko felt the tears well up in her eyes and she ran up to her room again with no intention of coming down for dinner.
Half an hour passed, and Eiko was still crying up in her room. Cid wondered what she was doing and went up to check on her to find her sobbing. He guessed why and simply sat down on the end of her bed with his back to her.
"Eiko, you know I'm only doing what's best for you, don't you?" he asked. Eiko knew that what her father just said was a lie… because he's doing what he thinks is best for Lindblum, and not her. She suddenly stopped crying, wiped her tear streaked face and turned to give her father an angry stare.
"No Father, I don't! If you want to do what's best for me, you'll let Vivi come to my party! All my other friends are coming, so I want Vivi to be there too!" she yelled. Cid just shook his head and sighed heavily.
"You know I can't allow those… vermin to roam around my castle." He mumbled. Eiko growled in frustration, this has gone on long enough, so she decided to give her Father a compromise.
"Father, you either let Vivi come, or I will leave the castle and go to the Black Mage Village." That made Cid leap from off the bed to turn and face his daughter.
" If you even think for one minute that I will let you go to that god forsaken place on your own , you can think again, young lady!" he shouted. Eiko took a deep breath as she carried on with her plan, despite how it might make things worse than they already are.
" I'll go when you least suspect it. You can't have your guards watch me all the time, as that would be an invasion of privacy. I mean it father, you either let Vivi come, or I will sneak out of here when you least suspect it to go to the Black Mage Village. It's your choice."
Cid just growled, and stormed out of the door, slamming it on his way. Eiko covered her face with her hands and breathed deeply, wondering if that would have done the trick.
Two days passed, and Cid and Eiko hadn't exchanged a single word since that talk. They gave each other angry glances, but that was about it. Hilda found breakfast and dinner times to be quite awkward as she didn't know who to talk to in case it looked like she was taking sides. She had had enough after breakfast on the second day and decided to talk to her husband after Eiko had left to go upstairs.
" She is going to grow up to hate you if this is how you plan to treat her, dear." She said as she moved to the chair next to her husband.
" Black Mages are now even driving my daughter away from me…" Cid murmured as he stared at the table and fidgeted with his mustache. " You can see why I despise them, can't you dearest?"
" Cid, please don't start with that again." Hilda pleaded " But if you are going to be like this to her all the time, she would probably leave the castle and go back to her old life in Madain Sari, all on her own, with no kind of family around her at all. You don't want that, do you?" Cid sighed sadly as he rested his face in his palms as Hilda put her arm around him. In his mind, he didn't know what to do. Black Mages would destroy Lindblum if he allowed them back in, but he could lose Eiko if he carries on about this…
"What would you do, darling?" he asked. Hilda smiled, but shook her head.
" It's not a case of what I would do, dear. We have mixed opinions on these issues, so you must decide this on your own." She kissed the top of his head and got up to go upstairs, before she was suddenly stopped by Cid grabbing hold of her arm.
" Alright. Here's what we do…"
Eiko sat up on her bed, crying silent tears as she looked at the Birthday Card the Black Mages had sent her, sniffling each time she read the words inside. Why did Vivi and everyone else at the village have to be Black Mages? If they weren't she wouldn't be having this much trouble getting her best friend over for her 18th birthday party… and Cid would be OK with everything… she let out a loud sob as she dropped the card on her bed, not even noticing Hilda entering the room.
" Eiko…" she whispered as she sat down on the bed and gave her daughter a big hug, which finally alerted Eiko of her mother's presence. She returned the hug and cried softly on her shoulder.
" Why mom? Is he always gonna be like this?" she asked through sniffles. Hilda didn't answer that question, but she did get Eiko to face her.
" Eiko, I have something to say… so look at me, dear." Eiko wiped away her tears and gave Hilda her full attention.
" Your father has decided to let Vivi come to your birthday…" Eiko suddenly gasped, interrupting her mother, and gave her a bear hug.
" Oh, I knew you'd make him come around!" she squealed, still squeezing her mother as hard as she could.
" Eiko, don't do that, I haven't finished what I was saying." Hilda said firmly, instantly making Eiko let go.
" However, he will be watched by guards, he's not allowed out of the castle without a solider escort and he can't stay for no longer than a couple of hours. Those are your father's terms." She finished. Eiko's smile was turned upside down immediately, but she knew that was the best her mother could have done, so she hugged her and said thanks. 'Well, at least he can come' she thought.
" I'm sorry dear, but I cannot change the ways he thinks…" Hilda said apologetically. Eiko gave a small smile and shook her head.
" No mom, you did the best you could, and I'm grateful for that. It's better than him not coming at all." Hilda returned her smile and then headed back downstairs to see what her husband was up to. Eiko groaned loudly. She wasn't happy with her father's terms, but she had to accept them or else Vivi couldn't come to see her at all.
'Gosh. It would be Vivi's first time to Lindblum in twelve years.' Eiko thought as she got her quill pen and paper ready to write her invitations. ' Time really does fly by…' She finished them all, including Vivi's, in half hour, and placed them all in her mail basket ready for them to be delivered by one of the guards in the afternoon. She felt happy knowing everyone she knew was coming to her most important birthday… when she finally becomes a woman. When she was younger, she waited to become eighteen so eagerly so she might have a chance with Zidane, but as the years went by, she realized it was only a childish crush since she was alone for so long in Madain Sari.
'Yup. Everyone will be there. It's been so long since we were all together… I can't wait.'
She smiled to herself before she fell asleep on that happy thought, and missed the guard taking her mail basket on her door. He knew that the Regent knew about the Party invitation going to Vivi, so he didn't rip the letter up like he usually does when Eiko tries to send him mail. He left without waking Eiko to inform her about her mail being sent off, and sooner that day, the invitation was on it's way to the Black Mage Village, and would become the first piece of mail Vivi have received from Eiko for the past twelve years…
TO BE CONTINUED……
Cid's very hard on the Black Mages, eh? Next chapter will focus on Vivi, then the third will be about their meeting again and what happens at the party. Please read and review. Thanks! ^_^
PROLOGUE
Many years had passed since the battle for all life on planet Gaia, and happier times were now at hand. Zidane Tribal eventually returned to Garnet like he promised he would, and on that very day, they wed and became the King and Queen of Alexandria. The Alexandrian General Beatrix was thinking about leaving her line of duty and starting a new life elsewhere, but Captain Alderbert Steiner of The Knights Of Pluto had admitted that he loved her, and a job of protecting the King and Queen together would be a happier life to lead for the both of them. Freya Cresent had found her long lost love Fratley, who had recovered from his amnesia state, and were now both working on reconstructing their home town, Burmecia. Amarant Coral returned to Treno, despite his face still plastered on wanted posters all over the city, and was now working as a lone wolf protecting the innocent from bandits and thugs. Quina Quen returned to the Qu's Marsh near Lindblum, and was now telling Master Quale about all the new things to eat around the world. Vivi Ornitier went to stay in the Black Mage Village with all the other mages, telling many stories about his and his friend's travels around Gaia. Eiko Carol left her home with the moogles in Madian Sari, and went to live with her adopted parents, Cid and Hilda Fabool in Lindblum, where she is now heir to the regency of the massive city. Eiko missed all her friends dearly, and was always on trips to the different parts on Gaia to see them with her parents, except one… Vivi. Whenever she wanted to go see Vivi, her father would argue for reasons why she wanted to go to the village, but would eventually give in and then sent her with some of his strongest guards to the village, but never wanted her to stay there for more than a couple of hours. When Eiko eventually asked why she couldn't see Vivi as often as her other friends, he explained that ever since the attack on Lindblum and Burmecia, and the aware Black Mages helping Kuja with his evil plans, he has never trusted any Black Mage, and that included the little Black Mage hero, Vivi. Eiko couldn't understand why, as the Black Mages were always a friendly, understanding and peace loving bunch, but her father's hatred for them had grown so deep that he wouldn't allow Black Mages in Lindblum at all, and any Black Mage seen in the city would be thrown in the dungeon and probably executed. Eiko had tried so many times to reason with her father, but to no avail. When she asked how her mother felt about the Black Mages, she always said something to try and avoid talking about it and changed the subject as quickly as she could. Eiko hated that, since Vivi was her best friend, but that's how she's had to live. And that life style is still in order now, 12 years later. Eiko will be 18 years of age in two weeks time, and wants to have a massive party in the castle with all her friends, including…
Loving You From Afar
By Kawaii Vivi
Chapter 1
" Absolutely not Eiko!" Cid Fabool yelled as he rose from his throne to walk towards his daughter, who shot him an angry glance as he got closer to her.
" But Father, my eighteenth birthday is special, and I want all of my friends to be there, and that includes Vivi! Why can't you understand that?"
" Because he is a Black Mage! They're all nothing but a bunch of blood thirsty Mist monsters, the lot of them! You can't be friends with one of those demons! As soon as you turn your back, they'll blast you with a Flare spell faster than a Qu can munch a frog!"
Eiko scowled at her father. How many times had she had this conversation about the Black Mages with him? Too many to even remember. Whenever she was allowed to go the Black Mage Village, they always welcomed her in open arms, despite the disgusted looks on the guard's faces. They were a wonderful bunch of people, and she simply could not understand why her father hated them so much. She sighed as she tried to reason with him again.
"But father, he traveled around the world with us! He helped us beat Kuja AND Necron! If he was a blood thirsty monster like you claim he is, he would have destroyed us years ago! He is one of the most wonderful people I know! You have to let him come, because I'll never forgive you if you don't!"
" You are in no position to bargain with me Eiko." Cid growled. " I said no and I mean it! I will not allow those despicable creatures roaming freely around my castle! He could even get out into Lindblum, and history would repeat itself… 'No' is my final word Eiko, and NO more on the subject!" Eiko could feel tears welling in her eyes as her father yelled the last sentence, and before running up to her room, she screamed,
" You treat me like a child! I hate you!", leaving Cid alone to ponder on what his daughter had just said to him. He gave a heavy sigh and sat back down on his throne, shaking his head.
Eiko stormed up to her room, and threw herself on her bed. 'Why can't I invite Vivi, why?' she thought to herself as she cried into her pillow. She was allowed to invite everyone else, even Amarant, but not Vivi, and she couldn't understand her father's ways. The Black Mages who attacked Lindblum and Burmecia were being controlled by Kuja, and the aware ones only followed the evil Genome because he tricked them about their life spans, which in the end, also turned out to be not true as Doctor Tot did find out how to increase the life span of a Black Mage, and now any Black Mage has the life expectancy of a normal human being. Her thoughts were soon broken as there was a sudden knock on her door. It was a guard, holding a bundle of envelopes
" Mail for you, Miss." He said whilst handing her the bundle. She knew what they were… birthday cards. She was just about to wonder if one was from Vivi, until she noticed the guard hanging onto one brown envelope.
" Is that for me too?" she asked him. The guard said nothing, and started to walk out the door before Eiko stopped him in his tracks.
" That's from The Black Mage Village, isn't it?" Again, he said nothing. Eiko threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.
"First, I can't see my best friend, and now, I can't even receive mail from him!? Give me that letter! I command you to give it to me!"
" No. Regent Cid doesn't want anything from the Black Mage Village in here." He said bluntly "It's my duty to destroy this." He then attempted to walk out again, but was halted by Eiko for a second time.
" Look, Vivi Ornitier is my best friend. I only get to see him about three times a year, and even then, the visits are no longer than 3 hours. He is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, most kindly guys I know, and every day, I have to listen to my father verbally abuse him as well as all the other Black Mages! One day, he'll understand that they are not what he thinks they are, and only then will we live in true peace. Now give me that letter. It's the only way I'll hear from him in a while since he can't come to my party!" The guard shook his head, then gave a heavy sigh.
"Fine." He mumbled as he handed her the letter. " But don't you tell the regent that I relented. I might be thrown in jail for this." Eiko smiled at him.
" Don't you worry about that. Thank you so much." He gave a small smile back as he was finally allowed to exit the room. Eiko's face lit up as she looked at the letter. Yup, it's from the Black Mage Village all right. It's got the little Black Mage head ink stamp on it. She leapt onto her bed as she opened the letter, and surely enough, there was a hand made birthday card in there, as well as a tattered old letter, and another piece of paper. Eiko looked at this piece, and it turned out to be a sketch of Vivi hugging Bobby Corwen's son Aven done by Mr 147. Eiko smirked as she looked at the drawing… Vivi hadn't changed in looks at all, with the exception of him being taller, of course, and wearing a different hat to what he wore when traveling with his friends. She then turned her gaze towards the card, which said 'Happy Birthday' on the front with a small collage of a Black Mage made out of leaves, grass and twigs. The message inside simply said 'To Lady Eiko, hope you have a wonderful birthday, love Vivi, and everybody at the Black Mage Village.' Her smile widened as she was going to place it on the shelf with her other birthday cards, but then decided to put it in the bottom of her drawer just in case her father came into her room. She finally opened up the letter, which basically said how Vivi and everyone else was doing, how the village celebrated when Aven had an egg with his mate, how Bobby Corwen is still alive (AN: Old Chocobo, huh? ^_^) and well, and most importantly, how she was doing. He also asked if Regent Cid had calmed down on the subject of Black Mages, but Eiko already knew the answer to that… she didn't like Vivi knowing that her father hates him, but there was really nothing that she could do when Regent Cid showed up that one time to pick Eiko up from the village outside the forest, and when Vivi went with her to the ship, he yelled at him and told him to get out of his sight. Vivi was so confused at the time as Cid had never acted this way towards him before, and it was on the next visit that Eiko told him about her father's hatred. She'll never forget the hurt look on Vivi's face when she told him…
Suddenly, another knock at her door interrupted her thoughts again, but this time, she answered it to her mother Hilda, who gave a small smile as she saw Eiko poke her head around the door.
"Eiko, dinner will be ready in a minute, so get dressed and come on down to the dining table as soon as you can."
"Thanks Mom, I'll get right on that." Eiko said as she bent down to pick one of her many hair ribbons off the floor. "Oh, and did Dad say anything about me while been up here?"
Hilda nodded her head sadly " I'm afraid so dear. He began ranting about how that young Black Mage friend of yours is corrupting your mind, and what disaster would befall Lindblum if Black Mages were ever allowed back into the city. I tried to get him to stay calm, but he will not listen to reason on this particular subject…" she suddenly paused as she saw tears welling up in her daughter's eyes again. Hilda wiped them from her face, and gave her a warm smile.
" Eiko, I believe you can trust Vivi, but I'm afraid your father will not tolerate him or any other Black Mage in Lindblum, especially in the castle…"
"Can you ask him if Vivi can come to my birthday party Mom, since you're with me on this?" Eiko asked. Hilda said nothing for a while to think her answer, but eventually came up with it.
" I'm afraid I'm not on either side of this argument Eiko, but I will talk to him…for your sake." Eiko beamed as she rushed to give her mother a big hug.
"Thank you mom. You don't know how much this means to me."
"I have a vague idea." Hilda giggled as she hugged Eiko back. " Now come. Your father will wonder where we are if we don't go down to dinner soon." And with that, Hilda walked back down to the elevator to carry her to the dining room while Eiko got ready for dinner. Maybe Vivi could come to her birthday bash after all…
Ten minutes later, Eiko put on her evening dress and got on the elevator to take her down to the next floor of the castle. She walked to the dining room, only to hear Cid and Hilda arguing. Eiko had an idea what this was over, so she decided to stand behind the door and listen. She could hear Cid pacing around the room angrily while Hilda was trying to talk to him.
"So, she's brainwashed you as well? Am I the only one thinking of the people of Lindblum's safety?!?" Cid yelled as he turned his back on his wife. Hilda sighed angrily in frustration and placed her hands on her hips.
" Cid, first of all, I'm not on either yours or Eiko's side on this matter, and second, she just wants all of her friends to be here, and that includes that young Black Mage boy, Vivi. I think that's fair, since she will be eighteen years old and that's a big milestone in her life. You're also forgetting that he helped them save Gaia from the hands of Kuja! He tried to protect Burmecia and Lindblum in those Mage attacks! How can you not invite him but everyone else to Eiko's eighteenth?" Cid whirled round and walked up to Hilda with a look of pure hatred on his face.
" And how do you know that it's not some kind of trick? None of their kind can be trusted… those ones who claimed to be 'aware' eventually HELPED Kuja with his plans! They're all nothing but a bunch of dirty, scheming, evil little beings that never should have been brought to Gaia in the first place!" Hilda scowled, but said nothing more as she knew he would always have something to say back. Once again, Eiko felt the tears well up in her eyes and she ran up to her room again with no intention of coming down for dinner.
Half an hour passed, and Eiko was still crying up in her room. Cid wondered what she was doing and went up to check on her to find her sobbing. He guessed why and simply sat down on the end of her bed with his back to her.
"Eiko, you know I'm only doing what's best for you, don't you?" he asked. Eiko knew that what her father just said was a lie… because he's doing what he thinks is best for Lindblum, and not her. She suddenly stopped crying, wiped her tear streaked face and turned to give her father an angry stare.
"No Father, I don't! If you want to do what's best for me, you'll let Vivi come to my party! All my other friends are coming, so I want Vivi to be there too!" she yelled. Cid just shook his head and sighed heavily.
"You know I can't allow those… vermin to roam around my castle." He mumbled. Eiko growled in frustration, this has gone on long enough, so she decided to give her Father a compromise.
"Father, you either let Vivi come, or I will leave the castle and go to the Black Mage Village." That made Cid leap from off the bed to turn and face his daughter.
" If you even think for one minute that I will let you go to that god forsaken place on your own , you can think again, young lady!" he shouted. Eiko took a deep breath as she carried on with her plan, despite how it might make things worse than they already are.
" I'll go when you least suspect it. You can't have your guards watch me all the time, as that would be an invasion of privacy. I mean it father, you either let Vivi come, or I will sneak out of here when you least suspect it to go to the Black Mage Village. It's your choice."
Cid just growled, and stormed out of the door, slamming it on his way. Eiko covered her face with her hands and breathed deeply, wondering if that would have done the trick.
Two days passed, and Cid and Eiko hadn't exchanged a single word since that talk. They gave each other angry glances, but that was about it. Hilda found breakfast and dinner times to be quite awkward as she didn't know who to talk to in case it looked like she was taking sides. She had had enough after breakfast on the second day and decided to talk to her husband after Eiko had left to go upstairs.
" She is going to grow up to hate you if this is how you plan to treat her, dear." She said as she moved to the chair next to her husband.
" Black Mages are now even driving my daughter away from me…" Cid murmured as he stared at the table and fidgeted with his mustache. " You can see why I despise them, can't you dearest?"
" Cid, please don't start with that again." Hilda pleaded " But if you are going to be like this to her all the time, she would probably leave the castle and go back to her old life in Madain Sari, all on her own, with no kind of family around her at all. You don't want that, do you?" Cid sighed sadly as he rested his face in his palms as Hilda put her arm around him. In his mind, he didn't know what to do. Black Mages would destroy Lindblum if he allowed them back in, but he could lose Eiko if he carries on about this…
"What would you do, darling?" he asked. Hilda smiled, but shook her head.
" It's not a case of what I would do, dear. We have mixed opinions on these issues, so you must decide this on your own." She kissed the top of his head and got up to go upstairs, before she was suddenly stopped by Cid grabbing hold of her arm.
" Alright. Here's what we do…"
Eiko sat up on her bed, crying silent tears as she looked at the Birthday Card the Black Mages had sent her, sniffling each time she read the words inside. Why did Vivi and everyone else at the village have to be Black Mages? If they weren't she wouldn't be having this much trouble getting her best friend over for her 18th birthday party… and Cid would be OK with everything… she let out a loud sob as she dropped the card on her bed, not even noticing Hilda entering the room.
" Eiko…" she whispered as she sat down on the bed and gave her daughter a big hug, which finally alerted Eiko of her mother's presence. She returned the hug and cried softly on her shoulder.
" Why mom? Is he always gonna be like this?" she asked through sniffles. Hilda didn't answer that question, but she did get Eiko to face her.
" Eiko, I have something to say… so look at me, dear." Eiko wiped away her tears and gave Hilda her full attention.
" Your father has decided to let Vivi come to your birthday…" Eiko suddenly gasped, interrupting her mother, and gave her a bear hug.
" Oh, I knew you'd make him come around!" she squealed, still squeezing her mother as hard as she could.
" Eiko, don't do that, I haven't finished what I was saying." Hilda said firmly, instantly making Eiko let go.
" However, he will be watched by guards, he's not allowed out of the castle without a solider escort and he can't stay for no longer than a couple of hours. Those are your father's terms." She finished. Eiko's smile was turned upside down immediately, but she knew that was the best her mother could have done, so she hugged her and said thanks. 'Well, at least he can come' she thought.
" I'm sorry dear, but I cannot change the ways he thinks…" Hilda said apologetically. Eiko gave a small smile and shook her head.
" No mom, you did the best you could, and I'm grateful for that. It's better than him not coming at all." Hilda returned her smile and then headed back downstairs to see what her husband was up to. Eiko groaned loudly. She wasn't happy with her father's terms, but she had to accept them or else Vivi couldn't come to see her at all.
'Gosh. It would be Vivi's first time to Lindblum in twelve years.' Eiko thought as she got her quill pen and paper ready to write her invitations. ' Time really does fly by…' She finished them all, including Vivi's, in half hour, and placed them all in her mail basket ready for them to be delivered by one of the guards in the afternoon. She felt happy knowing everyone she knew was coming to her most important birthday… when she finally becomes a woman. When she was younger, she waited to become eighteen so eagerly so she might have a chance with Zidane, but as the years went by, she realized it was only a childish crush since she was alone for so long in Madain Sari.
'Yup. Everyone will be there. It's been so long since we were all together… I can't wait.'
She smiled to herself before she fell asleep on that happy thought, and missed the guard taking her mail basket on her door. He knew that the Regent knew about the Party invitation going to Vivi, so he didn't rip the letter up like he usually does when Eiko tries to send him mail. He left without waking Eiko to inform her about her mail being sent off, and sooner that day, the invitation was on it's way to the Black Mage Village, and would become the first piece of mail Vivi have received from Eiko for the past twelve years…
TO BE CONTINUED……
Cid's very hard on the Black Mages, eh? Next chapter will focus on Vivi, then the third will be about their meeting again and what happens at the party. Please read and review. Thanks! ^_^